Calls grow for green arrow at ‘dangerous’ Guppy Rd lights in Napier

This leads to “chaos” on a near-daily basis, resident Paul Cushing says.

Cushing, who has lived in the village for six months, says the intersection turns to madness, especially at school drop-off and pick-up times and when there is sport on at Tareha Park.

When two vehicles are turning into the same road at an intersection that has more than one marked lane in both directions, both vehicles must show they want to turn by signalling for at least three seconds and both vehicles stay in their own lane throughout the turn. Car A turns from the left-hand lane into the left-hand lane. Car B turns from the right-hand lane into the right-hand lane. Image / Road Code

“People turning right from this side on a green light don’t know that drivers on the opposite side of the road have a green arrow to turn, so they both take off at once,” Cushing said.

“There is constant confusion about who should be giving way to whom, and then once they get into the expressway entrance, they have to juggle to get in the right lane.

Residents living near the intersection of Guppy and Meeanee Rds in Taradale say a green arrow needs to be installed at the traffic lights on the Arthur Millar school side for safety reasons. Image / Google Maps

“It’s dangerous. I can’t count the number of near misses I’ve seen and just a couple of weeks ago, a cyclist and a car crashed at the intersection.”

A council spokesperson said the traffic lights were set up in the most effective way to reduce issues with traffic entering and exiting the expressway.

“A green arrow is not necessarily the appropriate solution,” the spokesperson said.

“We are looking at future options for the intersection, dependent on funding.”

Councillor Ronda Chrystal has been advocating strongly on behalf of Taradale residents for safety improvements at the intersection.

She said it was a longstanding issue and she understood why people were frustrated.

“The council is aware of the concerns raised by Mr Cushing and others, and I’ve appreciated the regular conversations I’ve had with residents,” Chrystal said.

“The project team has been actively assessing both temporary and long-term options, and any changes will need to be worked through with NZTA, given the close connection to the expressway and the effect any signal changes could have on traffic flow.”

She said while installing a green arrow might seem like a simple fix, it was important that NZTA and the council fully understood the wider impacts before committing to a solution.

“That work is underway, and I’m pushing for clearer, more regular updates so our community can see the progress being made.

“I want to reassure residents that their concerns are being heard, and I’ll continue to advocate for a safe, workable outcome while also supporting the staff and partners who are doing the technical work needed to get this right.”

Cushing and the village manager, Sam Elder, said installing a green arrow was the simple solution.

“The facilities are there. It’s not as if they have to get a new set of lights. There’s a spot already there for a green arrow,” Elder said.

“I’m responsible for 100 seniors, and there’s at least 300 kids at the school (Arthur Miller), so as you can imagine, on a school morning it’s crazy.”

Cushing said he had been on about it for months.

“It feels like our words keep falling on deaf ears, and at this point, you have to wonder – how many people need to die before anything is done?”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.